Academic Program Review Report: Highlights School of Music July 2011

Transcription

1 Academic Program Review Report: Highlights School of Music July 2011 The School of Music at the University of Kansas offers an array of degree programs at the bachelor s, master s, and doctoral levels. The School offers both the PhD and DMA (Doctor of Musical Arts) degrees and is the only School of Music in Kansas authorized to do so. All of the School s degree programs have been continuously accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music. The most recent accreditation visit was 10 years ago; however, the School will undergo its next NASM visitation Fall The State of Kansas fully licenses the School s baccalaureate degree in Music Education. Schools of Music are not typically ranked by such organizations as US News & World Report. The last time such a ranking took place (1997), the KU Music master s program was ranked No. 12. Longevity, breadth, extensiveness, quality of faculty, record of achievement, and reputation make a case that KU s is one of the leading Schools of Music at AAU public research institutions. Several of its programs rank as among the very finest. These programs include, but are not necessarily limited to: Voice and Opera, Organ and Church Music, Music Education, Music Therapy, and Band. Over the past four academic years, the School has experienced a modest increase in number of students and credit hour production. The School expects that trend to continue. Present resource, instructional, and facilities constraints suggest that the numbers are close to the School s capacity. As measured by outcomes on standardized exams, KU music education graduates regularly outperform their peers around the state and nation. The School s international presence continues to expand. This summer (Summer 2011), the Symphony Orchestra and selected students from the Voice and Opera program spent a month in residence performing in Eutin, Germany.

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18 Academic Program Review Report: Summary School of Music July 2011 The School of Music offers a comprehensive array of high-quality programs of study at the bachelor's, master's, and doctoral levels. The School offers course work to students wishing to pursue a profession in music and to those pursuing related programs of study on campus. Supported by its own library (The Thomas Gorton Music and Dance Library), a broad base of infrastructure, and an outstanding faculty, KU offers some of the best graduate and undergraduate programs in Music offered at any public AAU research university in the country. The School also offers elective opportunities for music study to the general student body. The School offers both the PhD and DMA (Doctor of Musical Arts) degrees and is the only School of Music in Kansas authorized to do so. The School s programs are organized as follows. Undergraduate Degrees Bachelor of Arts in Music (concentrations in Jazz, Musicology, Outside Minor including Business, Piano/Organ/Orchestral Instrument, Theory, and Voice) Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre and Voice Bachelor of Music (in Composition, Musicology, Brass & Percussion, Organ, Organ/Church Music, Piano, Strings, Voice, Woodwinds, and Theory) Bachelor of Music Education (in Music Education, Music Therapy) Master s Degrees Master of Music (in Accompanying, Church Music [Choral Conducting, Organ], Composition, Conducting [Band, Choral, Orchestra], Musicology, Opera, Brass and Percussion, Carillon, Organ, Piano, Strings, Voice, Woodwinds, and Theory) Master of Music Education (in Music Education, Music Therapy) Doctoral Degrees Doctor of Musical Arts (in Church Music [Choral Conducting, Organ], Composition, Conducting [Band, Choral, Orchestral], Brass and Percussion, Organ, Piano, Strings, Voice, Woodwinds) Doctor of Philosophy (in Music Education [Music Education, Music Therapy], Music Theory, Musicology) The National Association of Schools of Music accredits all music degree programs. The most recent accreditation visit was 10 years ago; the School will undergo its next NASM visitation in Fall The State of Kansas fully licenses the School s baccalaureate degree in Music Education. Schools of Music are not typically ranked by such organizations as US News & World Report. The last time such a ranking took place (1997), the KU Music master s program was ranked No. 12. Longevity, breadth, extensiveness, quality of faculty, record of achievement, and reputation make a case that KU s is one of the leading Schools of Music at AAU public research institutions. Several of its programs rank as among the very finest. These programs include, but are not necessarily limited to: Voice and Opera, Organ and Church Music, Piano, Music Education, Music Therapy, and Band.

19 The School of Music has 54 tenured or tenure track faculty members, 2 full-time non-regular faculty members, and a number of part-time or adjunct lecturers (at present, 1 in double bass, 5 in jazz, 1 in harp, 1 in voice, 1 in percussion), and approximately 78 Graduate Teaching Assistants. Of the 54 tenure/tenure track faculty members, sixty-nine percent (37 of 54) hold the doctorate. Full- and parttime faculty members not holding the doctorate are qualified by professional experience, demonstrated teaching competence for the subjects and levels they are teaching, or both. The faculty s aggregate qualifications enable the School of Music to accomplish its purposes. Faculty members guide student learning and communicate personal knowledge and experiences directly. Faculty members teaching graduate-level courses represent the professional standards to which graduate students aspire by being active in presenting their (faculty members ) work to the public and to peers in their fields as professional composers, performers, scholars, teachers, and practitioners. The School s faculty contributes extensively to their fields in terms of research and creative achievement. Academic faculties in music education, music therapy, musicology, and music theory, often in tandem with their graduate students, present and publish hundreds of papers on a yearly basis. Performing faculty members appear in venues the world and nation over. The School has one of the world s most distinguished composition faculties. As only one example, James Barnes, a member of the composition faculty, recently received a commission from the Berlin Philharmonic. The KU School of Music has established a strong international and national cultural presence owing to the quality and prominence of its performing, conducting, and academic faculty members. School of Music ensembles perform the world over: The University Symphony Orchestra and several students in the School s celebrated Opera program spent Summer 2011 in residence in Eutin, Germany. Last summer (2010), the Concert Chorale completed a tour of European cities. In 2006, the KU Wind Ensemble toured China. Faculty members conduct, perform, and give scholarly presentations regularly in international and national venues. Over the past four academic years, the School has experienced a modest increase in number of students and credit hour production. The School expects that trend to continue. Present resource, instructional, and facilities constraints suggest that the numbers are close to the School s capacity. The School sees its BA programs and its MME in music education as most in need of immediate attention. The Bachelor of Arts degree in Music covers a wide range of programs with diverging emphases and expected outcomes. Contingent on feedback from the NASM accreditation visitation to take place this academic year ( ), adjustments in and streamlining of course structure of some of the BA degrees probably will take place. The Master of Music Education (MME) degree in Music Therapy is quite strong, but with the exception of the summers-only MME with a vocal pedagogy emphasis, the traditional MME for practicing teachers is not heavily enrolled. Most teachers find it difficult to meet the demands of KU graduate course work while they are teaching; furthermore, young teachers who should be working toward completion of a master s degree are unable to afford KU s graduate-level tuition and fees. The School has responded by developing plans to open a summers-only MME for all music teaching specializations based on the successful model established by the summers-only MME with a vocal pedagogy emphasis.